The verdict indicated jurors believed Vanderhorst, 17, of Albany intended to cause a serious physical injury — not death — when he plunged a large knife into Rhodes’ chest on April 30, 2011.

It was a victory of sorts for the defense, if not Vanderhorst, since the defendant faced 25 years to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder. Vanderhorst’s manslaughter conviction means he will spend no more than 25 years in prison. His friend and former codefendant, 20-year-old Dhoruba Shuaib, whose role in the killing was far more passive, was convicted in February of first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated Vanderhorst’s fate for nearly 17 hours over four days before rendering its decision before acting Supreme Court Justice Dan Lamont at 2:25 p.m. The verdict ended the legal chapter for the family of Rhodes, but did not bring closure.

“No, because I still don’t have my son,” an emotional Stacey Rhodes told reporters, joined by her family members, police and prosecutors in the office of District Attorney David Soares. “One day, yes. But every day is a struggle … I wake up, I see his pictures, stuff like that, (saying) ‘I love you.’ ‘I love you, too.’ I still talk to him. I’m sure one day (she’ll have closure), I don’t know when.”

On April 30, 2011, a teenage witness using a cell phone camera videotaped a knife-toting Vanderhorst aggressively pursuing Rhodes in Hoffman Park. The footage showed Vanderhorst, at one point, throwing a bicycle at Rhodes. It showed Vanderhorst ignoring several observers, including a woman who told him not to throw his life away. His cousin emotionally begged him to stop his pursuit of Rhodes, shouting, “Jah-Lah — stop!” Vanderhorst shoved her aside.

After leaving court, several jurors grabbed drinks together at McGeary’s bar on Clinton Square. When approached by the Times Union, they said their verdict spoke for itself, declining further comment.